The Dragon Place

Friday, September 23, 2016

I’ve been a fan of HBO’s Game of Thrones for years. My
favorite character is Daenerys Targaryen.
She’s beautiful; she’s smart; she’s strong; she’s a leader; she’s
inspirational.Men love her, they loyally serve her, but only a very few can have her. And she has dragons!

She is called “The Mother of Dragons” because she brought
dragons back from extinction. She came upon some dragon eggs and she nurtured
them until finally three baby dragons were hatched.

The little dragons were adorable, but as they grew, there
was some adolescent rebellion. However, that phase has ended, and they are now
her devoted protectors. There are three magnificent dragons that are hers to
command.

I have always loved dragons.

Halloween gave me my chance to be Daenerys. I found what I needed on amazon.

First, I needed a blond wig. I don’t have the right coloring
for blonde hair, so it’s not the best look for me. But Daenerys is blond and I wanted to recreate her look.

Next was the dress. I found one on amazon, but I decided to
create my own using clothing I already owned. I had a long, flowing, floor
length item that replicated the look. I put a cinch belt around my waist and added some gladiator-style sandals that wrapped around
the ankle and up the leg.

Lastly I needed a dragon.
I found it on amazon. I could
have bought one to sit on my shoulder, but I fell in love with a beautiful dragon
statuette meant for collectors. (After Halloween, I added it to my dragon
collection.) I took a belt that I had
that was made with metal rings and wore it as a necklace. Then I used wire to
attach the dragon to the rings so that it looked like the dragon was sitting on
my shoulder.

I went as Daenerys for Halloween.Can you see the resemblance?

The outfit was complete, and I was off to a Halloween party. For
one night, I was the “Mother of Dragons.”
Given my age, a more apt title was “The Grandmother of Dragons.” If you too harbor an urge to be The Mother (or Grandmother) of Dragons for a night, I've collected everything you need for your Daenerys Targaryen costume. (Click on the captions to see the details for each item.)I hope they get you started for some cosplay.P.S See some ideas for dragon costumes for kids here: Dragon Halloween Costumes for Kids

Sunday, December 14, 2014

Did you see the Colbert Report on Thursday December 11, 2014?Stephen Colbert interviewed Smaug, the dragon
from the Hobbit movies. There is a new movie opening soon The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, the third movie in the
series. (Not counting the original Lord of the Rings trilogy.)

Smaug is not cute like the dragons of “How to Tame Your Dragon.” He's not a sparkly pet on a leash like the dragons on Game of Thrones. This is a real dragon, the dragon of your nightmares.

Smaug says he is an ”old .school worm,” and he looks terrifying.

The segment begins with Smaug bursting through the wall, and
ends with the studio going up in flames. In between, Smaug juts his ferocious
snout into Colbert’s face.(I wonder, do
dragons have bad breath?) Smaug has teeth as long as my forearm, but Stephen is
undaunted.Nothing scares Colbert. After
all, he has interviewed Bill O’Reilly and survived. So why should he cower
before a mere dragon?

It was a great segment. Next week is the last week of “The
Colbert Report.”I will miss the show so
much. Stephen Colbert played his part of a conservative talk show host so well.
When the show first started seven years ago, he fooled conservatives into thinking
he was one of them.(It just went to
prove that it is really hard to satirize people who are already so far over the
top that it is hard to believe that they are for real.

Next year Colbert will take over “Late Night” when David
Letterman leaves. We won’t hear Colbert roar anymore—he will be dropping the
persona he used on "the Colbert Report.".He will be
his charming and intelligent self.I can’t
help but wonder if he will occasionally slip back into character. A dragon can’t
change his skin you know.

It has a long massive neck that allows the head to be upright
even when the dragon walks on all four legs. It is somewhat like a horse in
this regard, but the neck is longer relative to the body size. The neck often
has a sort of ruff going down from the back of the head to the body.This ruff has sharp spikes protruding from
it.

Dragons have huge brains which accounts for their
intelligence and cunning.

Body

Dragons have the massive body and legs of a large land beast,
similar to a lion, although they are much larger than any of the jungle cats.

A dragon’s body is
covered with hard scales like a snake. The scales overlap protecting the body
like a suit of armor. The scales increase in number and grow in size as a
dragon gets larger; a dragon does not shed its skin like a snake.A dragon’s skin is very thick and tough.

The body of some types of dragons has regularly-spaced
spikes that protrude from the body.

A dragon has huge wings that spring from its back. The wings
are like those of a bat. The wings have a skeletal frame like fingers. The
finger tips end sharp claws.

A dragon’s bones are hollow and thus very light and its
muscles are very strong, so it can fly with ease.Dragons can soar for hours with little
effort.

Tail

A dragon has a long tail similar to that of a lizard. It
uses its tail to steady itself in flight or to propel itself in water. The tail
like the body has regularly-placed spikes making the tail ideal to be used as a
weapon.

Feet

A dragon’s feet have three or four toes facing forward. One
toe faces outward to the side allowing it to operate like a human thumb. It can
use its foot to perch as a bird does, but it can also grasp objects with its
toes. The toe nails are sharp claws.

A dragon’s bones are very light and its muscles are very
strong so it can fly with ease.Dragons
can soar for hours with little effort.

Senses

Dragons have exceptionally good sight. They can see in the
dark. They even have “blind-sight” which means they can see with their eyes
closed. They also have exception good sense of smell. Their sense of hearing
and taste is similar to that of humans. Their sense of touch is poor because of
their thick skin, scales and clawed feet.

Dragons can speak.They
have no difficulty speaking human languages, although among themselves, they
prefer to speak Latin or the local dragon language.

Organs

The most amazing body organ of a dragon is its fundamentum.It is located just below the heart. The dragon’s
blood passes through this organ before going to the other organs.Chemicals made in this organ pass to the
lungs which is what allows the dragon to breathe fire.

Unlike reptiles dragons are warm-blooded and can control
their internal body temperatures.This
allows them to survive in many climates and be active both day and night.

Shape-Shifting

﻿﻿

Some dragons can shape-shift into human form, but dragon
biologists do not yet understand how they do this.Here are some more posts about dragons that I think you will like.

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Who knew? Dragons sometimes take human form and have love
affairs with humans.Their inter-species
lover can even bring forth progeny—fortunately human progeny and not some
animal human hybrid. No one would want to see that.

Folklore abounds with love stories about the love between
humans and dragons. I found three of these tales which take place in France
during the Middle Ages.

Why the Middle Ages? There were lots of dragons around back
then.

Why France? The country and its people are known for l’amour.

In these sweet love stories a lonely dragon who has shape-shifted
into human form, encounters a human and they fall in love and marry. Who knew? Dragons
can be quite charming. And it doesn’t hurt that they only shape-shift into
extremely good-looking humans.

There are also modern-day tales of dragons who shape shift
into human form. These stories are less sweet, but no less romantic. It is just
that we get lots of steamy, erotic, sexual encounters between the dragon and
his lady love. (It is usually a male dragon and a female human who couple-up.) Dragons
are evidently quite skilled in the arts of love.

These novels are a sub-genre of a sub-genre: Romance Paranormal
romanceDragon
romance. Take a look at the offerings on amazon.com.

Friday, September 19, 2014

Maybe because they are big and scary and carnivorous. Maybe because they are awesome--flying in the sky with their ginormous wings and breathing fire. Maybe because they are cool--movies like movies like How to Train Your Dragon, and dragon-themed books and games have upped the wow factor.

The answer is all of the above.

However, the big, scary and carnivorous reason my need an explanation. Dragons are like dinosaurs and kids have been fascinated with dinosaurs forever. When you are a little kid, everything is big and scary and possibly out to do you in. Little kids like to own the power of these ferocious beasts for themselves. If I were a dragon everyone would be scared of me and no one would be telling me what to do.

And one more reason little kids and great big kids (also known as adults) love dragons--they are so gosh-darn cute. Like the little baby in the picture above and to the left. Click the link below the picture to see the costume and a bunch of other dragon costumes for babies, little kids and great big kids (also known as adults.)

If you would like to learn more about why kids love dragons, click this
link. Dragon
Toys Your Kids Will LoveYouwill also see a detailed explanation of the psychology of dragon-love and enough dragon-themed gift ideas to fill a
dragon’s lair.

Be sure to save your kids costumes after Halloween. I kept all of my son's old costumes and props in a big box. During the year, he would play dress up and pretend games with the costumes. Costumes are fun all year long.

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Perseus is a demi-god of Ancient Greece. (Literally, half -god: His father was Zeus, and his mother was a mortal woman, Danae.)Perseus slays Medusa. Medusa was a Gorgon, technically not a dragon. But dragons are sometimes depicted as creatures with multiple serpent heads spring from their neck. Medusa with her serpent hair may be based on dragon legends. When Perseus is returning home he comes upon Andromeda, a young princess chained to a rock about to be attacked by a sea serpent, Cetus. She is being sacrificed because the Delphi oracle has said it was the only way to rid the kingdom of a rampaging dragon. Perseus kills this sea dragon. The rescued maiden becomes Perseus' bride See a detailed discussion about why I consider these two beasts to be dragons at The Dragon Files: Do Humans Have Dragon DNA?You can also read a detailed account of the Life of Perseus at Who is Perseus? Ancient Greek Dragon Slayer

Monday, September 1, 2014

Dragons have reptilian scaly skins of one dominant color. It is generally agreed among
those who study dragon lore that dragons of a particular color have certain
traits. Here is some important information you should know before you go on a dragon quest.

Black Dragons

Black dragons are the nastiest of dragons, evil vicious fire-berthing
creatures. They will not hesitate to kill anyone who gets in their way, even their
own kind. You encounter them at your peril, but if you want to find one, look
in dark underground places like dungeons or mines.

Red Dragons

Red dragons are fire dragons. They can not only breathe out fire, but shape that fire at their will. They are ferocious, easy to anger, and unpredictable.You probably should steer clear of them, but should you want to find one, check out the nearest volcano.

Blue Dragons

Blue dragons prefer watery habitats like underwater caves. They
can shoot pressurized water or boiling steam from their mouths ad nostrils. They
are shy, but curious. They keep to themselves, but since they like to collect
bright shiny objects. You might tempt one from its hiding place with something
bright and shiny.

Bronze Dragons

Bronze dragons are superior beings. They can speak human
languages; they can cast spells, and are masters of alchemy. If you encounter a
bronze dragon, you might be given a philosophic riddle to solve. You will
usually find them in a castle, living under the protection of a king or lord.

Gold Dragons

Gold dragons have many gifts. They can speak human
languages, do magic, shape-shift and prophesize. They are wise honorable and brave; they do not
attack humans unless provoked. They prefer to dwell in castles and will loyally
serve their king or lord.

Silver Dragons

Silver dragons are powerful dragons, rarely seen by humans
because they prefer to live in secluded places. They are lovers of knowledge
and can travel trough space and time. They are peace loving creatures who avoid
war and violence.

White Dragons

White dragons live in the frozen arctic wilds deep within
snow caves; they prefer icy and snowy terrains. The can breathe snow, spit out
icicles, and cause avalanches. They hoard shiny objects and are selfish
creatures. A site dragon will not help others unless there is something in it
for him.

Yellow Dragons

Yellow dragons are the least intelligent of the dragons. Just
like humans of low intelligence, they are boastful and egotistical. They don’t
interact much with humans because they prefer the upper atmosphere. When they
fly low, their giant wing spans can cause tornados.

Green Dragons

Green dragons are the smallest dragons.They live in natural caves in forests. They have short wings and tend not to fly very high. They can breathe fire, but they use the fire as a tool and not as a weapon. They are skilled and climbing and burrowing and have excellent night vision. They are peaceful, even affectionate creatures.

Memorize the characteristics of each dragon so you will know
what to expect should you encounter any of these magnificent creatures.

The above is myth and fantasy. If you would like to know the truth about dragons read

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About Me

Catherine (Cathy) Giordano is a award winning public speaker who speaks to business, church, civic, educational, and social groups. She has served as a keynote speaker, a motivational speaker, and an inspirational speaker.

Most of her talks are light-hearted, life affirming presentations delivering an inspirational message with a generous sprinkling of humor. Others are serious speeches meant to be informative and educational.

She's an exciting and dynamic speaker who brings her unique insights to a variety of topics. Her speeches, talks, and presentations are always entertaining while delivering an important message.

She has several published books: "The Poetry Connection", "What Ifs, If Onlys, and So Whats", "News Print Poetry 2012".

She has been published in several fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction anthologies and has won several poetry and writing contests.

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